Ofcom Report Highlights Generational Divide in TV Consumption

Those in the 16-to-24 set in the U.K. are watching just 20 minutes of live television daily, according to a new Ofcom report, which also highlights the role of connected TVs in driving YouTube usage.

The findings were released in Ofcom’s latest study into U.K. media habits. It reports that only 48 percent of Gen Z viewers are tuning into broadcast TV in an average week, down from 76 percent in 2018. That percentage is higher for the 4-to-14 set, with 55 percent watching broadcast TV each week in 2023, down from 81 percent in 2018. Broadcast TV also saw erosion in the 45-to-54 demo, down to 84 percent from 89 percent last year. Among 65-plus viewers though, 95 percent tune in to broadcast TV each week.

Younger audiences are also spending less time with broadcast TV, at 33 minutes a day, with just 20 minutes live. Meanwhile, they are spending an hour and 33 minutes on average each day on services like TikTok and YouTube.

Overall viewing in the U.K. hit 4 hours and 31 minutes a day last year, up by 2 percent on 2022, driven by an increase in daily viewing to video-sharing platforms (up 12 percent to 49 minutes) and to BVOD (up 29 percent to 20 minutes). The TV set is driving consumption, accounting for 84 percent of content watched at home in 2023. It is also becoming a hub for YouTube usage, with 34 percent of YouTube viewing at home now happening on the TV set, up from 29 percent in 2022. Among kids 4 to 15, this increases to 45 percent, up from 36 percent in 2022. SVOD daily viewing inched up in 2023 to 38 minutes, with Netflix in the lead, averaging 21 minutes per person per day.

“Gen Z and Alpha are used to swiping and streaming, not flipping through broadcast TV channels,” said Ian Macrae, director of market intelligence at Ofcom. “They crave the flexibility, immediacy and choice that on-demand services offer, spending over three hours a day watching video, but only 20 minutes of live TV. It’s no surprise that the traditional TV is fast becoming a device of choice to watch YouTube. But while live TV may not have the universal pull it once did, its role in capturing those big moments that bring the nation together remains vital.”